Operation Forge Storm

Operation Forge Storm (7 January 2011) was a military operation carried out by the United States against Taliban militants in Karkar, Afghanistan during the last years of the Afghanistan War. The US Marine Corps soldiers dispatched to clear the mine of resistance suffered unthinkable losses, so the operation was called off before casualties could get too high.

Prelude
The Taliban were rarely known for their offensives during the winter season, but in January 2011 they launched a series of raids against United States and Afghan National Army forces from an abandoned coal mine in Karkar, which they took over following a workers' strike. On 2 January 2011, two Afghan National Army personnel were injured in a shootout with the Taliban just two miles from the mine on a desert road while patrolling the unstable area, and the ANA decided to request the intervention of the US military to destroy Beltoon Kalmati's cell. General David Petraeus authorized an operation to clear the mine of all resistance, and on 7 January 2011 a force of approximately 100 marines was sent to Karkar to clear the area of the militants.

Battle
The Taliban fighters in the coal mine took control of an abandoned building that overlooked the rail yards, which were adjacent to the location of the American convoy. The Marines assaulted the building and the mine, leading to intense firefights between the insurgents and the soldiers. From the building, the insurgent firing positions were able to strike at American troops in the open, and they inflicted heavy losses. Beltoon Kalmati was shot dead in front of another building while he moved to attack the American convoy with at least one other insurgent, but the Taliban emerged victorious over their American foes. As a result of their heavy losses, the Americans decided to withdraw from their assault, and the Taliban maintained control over the mine.